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6 THE CHRISTIAN NATION. Vol. 69.
button of that portion of your work.
The next letter, dated Tschowlu, N. China,
August Gth, I quote in full. "I have received two
copies of your pamphlet, 'A Message to China,'
and have read it with care. It has filled me with
a feeling almost of horror in regard to the United
States of America, and has increased my sense
of the extreme danger impending over my own
people, should England, in her desire for freedom
from priestcraft in her schools, cut the Gordian
knot by altogether ejecting the AVord of
God.
"But I may frankly say that I do not suppose
that the same result would be produced on the
minds of the educated Chinese. Very few, I
think, outside ol Church members—who are an
infinitesimal portion of the nation—would read
it through; and of those who did a very small
percentage would follow the line of your argument,
and of those who did, I fear the conclusion
reached would be the reverse of what you desire
to produce. Most would say: 'who are these
few men who take no share in the government
of the Republic? What is the matter about
which they are raising such "a storm in a tea
cup?" The United States Republic, as it stands,
is quite good enough for us. If we can obta u
in China as great, as rich, as powerful a Rep utile
as that of the United States of America, what
more could we desire?' If you feel it incumbent
upon you, in the sight o£ God, to issue this protest
in Chinese, God will doubtless reward you
for you obedience to Him; but I think you cannot
hope for any other reward."
The wit, the keen good humor—to say nothing
of the underlying pathos—of that last sentence
is worth all the pains it took to write the
pamphlet.
The next letter is more enthusiastic. It was
written Irom Wutingchow, Yunnan, China. "The
booklet, 'A Message to China,' has come to hand;
for which, many thanks. I have had much pleasure
in reading it, and certainly advise that it
be translated and scattered broadcast in China.
Aided by Missionaries a few million copies could
be distributed, and who could possibly tell the
amount of good such a tract vi'ould produce? It
seems to me that there is absolutely no thought,
except in a comparatively few cases, of building
upon principles of righteousness and truth. Selfishness
dominates the national lile. That God
may be acknowledged and the Bible taken as
the manual of guidance is the prayer of every
missionary and Christian in China. I certainly
think that this booklet, if translated, would be
the means of waking China up. At any rate,
the country should not be left without advice
and warning. Every student, offlcial and expectant
official, with intelligent shopkeepers, should
have a copy. II this is of the Lord, He-ft'lll provide
for the expense and bless the country. Thank
God that one Church has thought of this matter
and acted."
Inthe Sabbath
School
Lesson IT. October 12, 1913.
By tbe Rev. \A'. .-\. Aikin.
JEALOUSY AND ENVY PUNISHED—
Numbers 12.
Goldeni Text.—Love enviethi not, love
vaunteth not itself, is n'jt putTed up, doth not
behave ilself unseemly.—I. Cor. 13:4,5.
Psalms.—101:1-4. 7s 6s.; 141:3-6. C. M.;
131 1-3 C. M.
T!me—B. C. 1430.
the Mount.
Shortly after leaving
Place.—Hazerotli, some
northeast of Sinai.
25 or 30 miles
ANALYSIS AND COiMMENT.
The time which Israel spent in thte wilderness
is termed in Scripjture, "The Provocation."
This term is applied to that period in
tb,:e hJstory of Israel because of their rebellions
during th(e wilderness journey. These
rebellions provoked God to anger. "The first
cla.ss of provocations arose from their natural
neaessities in passing throug^hl the desert."
In the last lesson, we had an instance of a
rebellion of this sort; "A second classl of
provocations against God may include the
rebellions of the people agai.nst the Divine
leadings in the wilderness." A notable example
of this class was thte refusal of Israel
through fear to cross- the Jordan, resulting
in thieir being turned back to spend thirtyeight
years more in the wilderness. "A third
class of provoications shown by the people
in this day of temp'tation consisted in mur-
.miuring's and rebellions against thfe authority
•held by Mos.es the servant of Go.d." The incident
of the lesson before us furnishes a
•good example of this class.
I. THE MANIFESTATIONS OF THE
ENVY OF MIRIAM AND AARON, (v.
I, 2.) ;
"And Miriam and Aaron spake against
Aloses because o-f the E.thiopian woman
whom he had married: And they said. Hath
tbe Lord indeed spoken only by Moses ? And
hath he not spoken by us?" Envy is a sin
which fills tbe soul with a feeling of uneasiness
"at the sight of another's excellence or
g-ood foritune, accompanied with some ile'gret
of hatred .and a desire to possess e:iual advantages."
It is a green-eyed monster 'A-hich
lurks deep in the soul, feeding on ven.om,
and whetting its selfish purposes with malice
and hatred. It does not show iis face
openly but works indirectly, using the foulest
and most perverse methods? The nature
of envy and thie ways in whicn .;; does its
work is shown in tbe actions of Miriam and
Aaron toward Moses, ist. In the ass.iult
they made on Moses because of hi^ wife.
The chief fault which they b^ad to find with
bis wife was that,she was an Ethl-.jpiaii, or
according tu the marginal reafb'ng, a Cushitr.
Doubtless thfe woman refe-ad to was
Zipporah, as there is no account ot her death
up to thiis time or of a second marriage by
Moses. It is natural to think tbat the woman
with w'hoim they found fault was Zippoirah,
as it had been only a. few months since they
had first met hier, although Moses had married
her .many years before. It would seem,
however, tbat they did not find fault with
thie personal character of this woman; but
nather censured Mo'ses for having married
a woman who was not an Israelite, so that
they were not finding fault so much witih
Moses' wife as they were with Moses himself.
Of course they could persuade themselves
that the}- luul a good cioalc for their sin of
env)- in hringing this matter to Moses' mind.
According" to the law which he had spoken
Israel was not to i.ntermarry with the hteathen
nations, yet he himself had already taken
a wife, who although sh'e could cl'aim Abraham
as her father, (the Midianites being descendants
of Abraham through' Keturah,) yet
bad also the blo'od of Ham, the accursed son
of Noah, and faibhler of Cush, in her veins.
If Miriam and Aaron had stopped with this
matter ofj Moses' wife, perhaps their evil
purpose would never have been known. But
when they went a -step farther and made the
second charge, it became evident) that tht
zeal which they had shown for purity in
Israel was simply a pretense and was being
used as a cover for their jealousy and selfish
ambitions..
2nd. In their effo.rt to belittle the authority
of iMo'Ses. "And they said, Hathi thie Lo^rd
indeed spoken only by Mos.es? And hath he
not spoken by us?" It may be that thje pride
of Miriam and Aaron was touched when
Moses took Jethiro as tbe man of his counsel
and followled his advice, wiJfchout consulting
them, and again when the seventy counselors
were nominated by Moses and thiey were not
of the number. Instead of giving them some
office of preferment, as they doubtless
thciughit he might since thiey were so closely
related to him,, he pass^ed them by even as he
bad done his own sons. This wO'Undled their
pride. They thought th,at thiey wiere as well
qualified to direct thie people as .be was.
They were of the same parentage, and besides
the Lord hiad already recognized them by
conferring certain privileges on them. Aaron
•h'ad acted as. spokesman for Moses, and Miriam
had led the women's chorus in the song
of viatory after crossing the Red Sea. But
siuchl is the nature of envy. It matters not
what preferment the envio.us may have received,
he still despises the one who^ has sur^
passed him.
II. THE VINDICATION OF MOSES'
MEEKNESS, (v. 3-8.)
While Miriam and Aaron were attempting
lo ignore Moses' authority they pretended
tlilat they were offended by his arrogance as
thougdi! he made undue claims of authbrity.
But this claim was refuted.
ISt. By Moses .Himself. "Now the man
Moses was very meek." Some critics, adverse
to the truthfulness of the Bible, claim
tbat Moses could not hlave written the book
of Numbers since he himsellf would not have
made such a statement as this if hie really
w'ere meek. Biut such, a criticism' is shalloiw.
It fails to recog-nize the necessity for such' a
statement from hiim at this time. To have
remained silent would practically have been
an acknowledgment of thte charge made
against him. Moses was fotced to imake
this statement, even as Paul, who said: "Ye
have compelled me," when he was placed in
the position wd-iere he had to glory in his